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Friday, September 23, 2011

Easy No Sew Fleece Blanket Edging

What a week I have had – some good and some not so good. How about I start with the good.
I think I mentioned the Joann’s fabric store in Grand Island, NE. is having a liquidation sale as they are opening a new store in another location in town and I guess they are not moving any of the merchandise from the old store to the new one so they have had very good sales going on. I purchased the anti-pill fleece in 2 yard segments to make single layer throws for my daughters, sons in law and grand children – 8 in all. I didn’t want the throws to get too heavy so that is why I only used one layer for each.

I found directions on the internet for making the throws without the knots you usually see. This edging looks more like a woven or crocheted edge. I pretty much followed the directions on Helping Little Hands blog with a few changes of my own to make the 8 throws.
Here are the step by step photos and directions I used to make them. I purchased Anit-Pill Fleece in 2 yard cuts…wanted the throws to be able to be washed and dried without getting pills which make fleece ugly and not so cozy.Step 1 I trimmed the selvages off and straightened the ends. This part is not difficult as they don’t have to be perfect rectangles. The fabric always is wiggly so who is going to know if it is a llittle off square one way or another.

Step 2 - Cut 1” slits around the entire edge and a 2” square out of each corner. The 1” cuts are 2” deep. I stuck a piece of painters tape 2” in from the edges of the fleece, laid the straight edge of the fleece on one of the lines of my cutting mat then used the rotary cutter to eyeball cutting every inch. If it did not come out even in 1” increments I eyeballed to the end of where I was cutting and either added a little to each 1” fringe or subtracted a little so I wouldn’t have a really skinny or really fat strip at the corners. I did cut through 2 layers at a time and it was no problem to keep my cuts even. The tape really helped and cutting into it a little at times didn’t dull the rotary cutter like hitting the edge of a ruler would. I cut the corners out with a scissors to avoid overcutting into the side strips.

After this step is done the rest could be finished sitting in my favorite chair and watching TV, listening to music or an audio book. These fleece throws are so easy even kids can do the edge treatment but would do the fringe cutting for them to keep them safe from those sharp rotary blades. How about making a Christmas gift for grandparents or in my case I have gifts for my family for Christmas….OK, now on to the finishing of the edge treatment.

Step 3 Cut a small slit about 1/2” to 3/4” from the end of each strip with a scissors. These small clips into the fleece are only about 3/8” long. As you can see in the photo I just folded over the end and snipped to get the slit I needed.

I had a large crochet hook to use for the next step. It is a size N but the size isn’t important, just need something that it will go through the slits I cut and be able to grab the next strip and pull it through. The original web page had them using a looped paper clip or wire for this step. Check out the photos on that page.

Step 4 Starting in the center of one long side the crochet hook is slipped through the slit of one strip and into the one next in line. ( I am a left handed person so I am working from left to right – if you are a right handed person you will be going from right to left. If you can’t figure it out check out the photos from the blog I learned this from here. I was going to photograph it for right handed people but decided no, I am always having to transpose everything for myself from right handed directions so this time right handers would have to transpose and I would just show how I did it. If it were a complicated procedure I would have made it easy but since it is really pretty simple and self explanatory through the photos it stays left handed.)

The second strip is pulled through the slit of the first one and now the second one is on the crochet hook. Next put the crochet hook through the slit in the next strip and pull it through….keep doing this all around the throw until you only have one strip left.

Step 5 The corners are treated no differently than the sides. As the strips are pulled through and around the corners you will get a rounding of the corner and can keep going along the next side. No fancy stuff just the same thing you have been doing on the sides. Step 6 The last strip is cut in half to make two smaller strips. Cut a slit in the first strip close to the body of the throw and pull one of the half strips through that slit from the back then hook the other small strip and pull it through the last one you hooked as you worked around the throw.

Tie the two smaller strips together in a double knot and try to hide it under the back if you can. I had trouble with this part and decided if the knot showed a little that was OK. The ending is the only place where you have a small knot. If you have ever used those other kind of throws made with two layers and knotted fringe you know how uncomfortable it is to lay on those huge knots. With this edge the only knot is small and hopefully pretty invisible and not lumpy to lay on.

Notice how nice the edges look plus it looks so fancy but now you know how easy it is to achieve. I have all 8 throws finished now and ready to wrap for Christmas. This is the earliest I have ever gotten a gift made for Christmas so I am thrilled. They were so simple to make and the edges finished off so quickly. Isn’t this a pretty stack of finished throws? If you have any questions or don’t understand just leave a comment and I will try to answer.

The bad part of my week went like this …read on if you are interested. John and I were going to take a few days vacation to see parts of western Nebraska this week. We left home on Tuesday – my birthday - and headed west. I had woken that morning with a stiff neck but it wasn’t too bad so just took some Advil and went on our merry way. Had a great dinner at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse in Paxton and found a motel at Ogallala – feeling good but still a little stiff neck.

To hopefully make a long story shorter I woke during the night with Charlie Horse like muscle seizures in the muscles on the right side of my neck. If I moved or flinched or maybe did nothing it would cramp up and be very painful. This kept up the rest of the night off and on into the morning. We decided I sure would not be able to enjoy any part of the trip so headed home. I can tell you that every bump the car drove over for the 3 1/2 hours home caused the muscles to seize and finally seeing our home approach was a welcome sight.

Luckily I could get into my chiropractor right away and he used an electronic gizmo that I will call electric acupuncture to put a little electric current into the muscle to make it relax. Here is a description of it in Wikipedia here. There are no needles and I didn’t even feel the current but it made those cramping muscles relax then he could do a little adjustment to help. I am using ice on the neck now to reduce the swelling and plan to see him in a few days to get the rest of the kinks worked out. My neck is still pretty sore but no more spasms. Yippee!

With harvest starting next week we will have to put off our trip until after we are done or another time. We don’t want to do it in the winter as it is just to cold to enjoy the places we wanted to stop and explore. We had planned to see Lake McConaughey, Chimney Rock, Scottsbluff National Monument, Agate Falls National Park, Wineries in Western Nebraska plus what ever the notion hit us that would be interesting. It was a big disappointment not to be able to go on but would have been torture for me. This was to be a relaxing, go where and when we wanted kind of trip for a few days.

I am much better now and look forward to getting all straightened out by the first of the week. The soreness is already going away so that is another positive thing. I will be driving the tractor and grain cart soon so need to be in tip top shape for that.

This post is from the blog, Nebraska Views.
If you are not currently reading this via e-mail or an RSS feed, then this post has been stolen or scraped from the Nebraska Views blog. Stolen content can be reported HERE .”

This is great - since those knotted ones are nearly always 2 layers and sometimes just too thick and heavy... and so often I find a fleece I love but can't find a good coordinate. I think I need a trip to the store now!

I've just seen this post. I like to make these fleece blankets for my grandkids, but I always use 2 patterns of fleece and then tie them the usual way. I have two questions about your method. Wouldn't they have a tendency to come undone eventually...especially after washing? And since I do like to use 2 layers, could I still use this method?

I am a new follower. My husband and I split time between Missouri and Idaho, so when I saw you were from Nebraska I thought "hey, I drive through there often." You are lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country! Thanks for your tutorial for this new type of edging on fleece blankets. I was getting tired of the tied kind, and I have no creativity at all :) so thanks!

Love this way of doing it. Never liked the tie-it method so never did it. BTW the electrical device you are referring to can be called a "tinz unit" i used to work at a chiro and loved hooking myself up to one to relaxing. it stimulates your muscles to stop spasming!

For those of you who were asking about doing this with 2 different patterns of fleece...I made a blanket with this finish tonight using 2 different patterns. This finish looks like a braided edge and it turned out perfectly. Depending on the way you pull the next loop through, you can alter the color that shows up in the "braid". I plan on using this technique for several more blankets!

Hey Lynn, just thought I'd let you know...this year I tried making double layer ones using the braided/crochet technique...and it works great. You can see my post about it here http://helpinglittlehands.blogspot.com/2011/11/double-layered-no-sew-braided-fleece.html

I am sorry I can not reply to some of you that leave comments - you have your settings set at "no reply" so there is no way I can email you back unless you leave me an email address or change your settings. I try to answer all the questions I get with a valid address.

To answer several "no reply" questions I personally have not made the fleece blankets with two layers but have heard from some commenters that they have used this method to join two layers, alternating the strips as they are woven.

Oh Thank you so much! Saw this on Pinterest and did a double layer blanket. Pulled the back color over the front color and 'crocheted' it, then flipped the blanket over and did the front color in the opposite direction. LOVE IT!! THank you!!!

Found this via Pinterest too~ fantastic idea for the leftover fleece I have from my son's superhero cape! Thanks for posting a great tutorial *and* for posting it left handed....so refreshing to finally look at something that looks exactly how I would do it :)

I acquired 2 large garbage bags of fleece today, and looking on the web at all the fringed fleece blankets, I didn't really want to do that...I'm not a fan of it done with fleece. But finding YOUR tutorial with the fancy edging was just the ticket. And from one lefty to another, thanks!

Thank you SO much for this pattern! I am going to make my 2 grandsons, both graduating in May and going on to college, each one as a present. They both love to be warm, and this will be a little of grandma when they're away from home. Can't wait to get started - perhaps will make a larger one? They're both over 6' tall.

Thanks for the new idea on how to finish a fleece blanket. I'm a little confused tho' as it looks like the blanket is only 1 layer of fleece. The "traditional" knotted blankets I have made used knots to attach/secure the 2 layers of fleece blanket together.

I like this idea as even folding the knotted ones is a pain how much room the knots take up. I just wasn't sure how this style was an alternative to knotted versions since if the blanket is only 1 layer, what are you knotting together?thanks

Thank you so much for a wonderful way to finish a fleece blanket. As soon as I can take a break from sewing my aprons, I would love to try it. Would you like me to pin this to Pinterest with a link to your blog to spread good word of you there?

thanks for the neat edging. found fleece for $1 a yard on clearance at our local wally-world. bought 40 yards to make throws for the kids at our local head-start center. hated the idea of tying all of them. also glad to see directions written from left-handed perspective!

I made a 2 layered one tonight inspired by this tutorial. I had to go around the blanket twice but it worked perfectly. I started in the middle of a long side like the tutorial said but worked diagonally. I took a strip from the top and hooked it through the one on the bottom that was 1 to the right of the one below where I started. I am left handed so went from left to right so if you're right handed, I would imagine that you would loop it through the one to the left of the one below where you started. Anyway, i took the bottom one and looped it through the strip to the right of the one right above it. I continued that all the way around TWICE because I skipped one every time and then tied it as she instructed. :)

Does anyone think I could use these to make my dog beds?? I volunteer locally with my animal shelter and we have a Pet Adoption and Appreciation Day every Fall and Spring and we always try to find neat things for people to buy and help raise money.. I wasn't sure of this would hold the stuffing in the beds? It would be wonderful if it did because I am concerned that dogs will really like to chew the tassels left from the knotting.. sebing@hotmail.com

I can not answer your email directly since it has a no-reply address. I don't think this would make a good finish for a dog bed as the loops would get caught in the dogs nails and they too would get chewed. I don't think it would hold stuffing either for that use. It probably would be better to just sew it up like you would a pillow. The fleece would be soft but you might want to make it like a pillowcase so it could be laundered too.Lynn

This. Is the Cutest idea! I have made many blankets for people how need a pick-me-up or are fighting an illness, it always takes me so long to do a blanket stitch because I make my blankies BIG. This is an excellent and lovely alternative. Thank you for sharing this. I wish I was clever like this.

JUST made a two layer fleece blanket for my "soon to be" great nephew using the knot method....UGH!! Wish I had found this tutorial two weeks ago! Darn it! But I will definitely be using this method in the future! :o)

Hello from Germany! I absolutely love this idea and I'll have to go on a hunt for some fleece fabric now! I have a 9 month old son and I couldn't help but notice how much you don't get along with just two or three blankets, due to the frequently flying food and liquids.... lol, so I'll stock up on these awesome blankets and this idea really made my lazy bum happy. A very belated happy birthday to you, Lynn!! And thank you!

Great idea. After making two for each grandchild I swore off these blankets because of the knots.One blanket took me 7 month to finish but it was because of my lupus.Now I have another grandchild on the way and I'm happy to say Ill be making another one and this method will help with my arthritic hands!I'm back in business! LOL. Thanks for posting this -Marilyn

I use fleece tie side blankets for all 4 of my dogs and they love them and dont chew the knots (but I know how different dogs can be lol). 2 of my dogs like to nest under the blankets (in their kennel and with my blankets on the bed or couch) and my other 2 lounge on top. Their great for keeping them warm on a cold floor.

I used to live in Hastings Nebraska! I am in love with these blankets and plan on making knew for each of my children. My 7 year old loves doing crafts so after i make the cuts i am going to let her "sew" it together. She will love it. Thanks for the easy step by step directions. Found you on pinterest. Morgan

What a brilliant idea.. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I found this blog through Pinterest... What I'd like to know is, how does a person pin a blog post to Pinterest? Can anyone help? Thanks Sylvie

Found your blog on Pinterest. My granddaughter wanted a fleece blanket, and made one using your tutorial for the hooked edging. Turned out wonderfully, so much nicer than the knots. Thanks for what you do!!Onda

I am so happy so find this method of making the fleece blankets. I have made both of the other kinds of knotted ones (one with knots, one a pull through), but had never seen this. I have just finished making one with two layers of fleece. I hadn't thought about the washing of this one, but I am now concerned. Please tell me it washes perfectly before I make my next one. I love the look. Thank you so much. I don't know about the no comments thing so my email is: suzannyelton@yahoo.com I do not use the Google account.

needed a quick boarder for a fleece blanket for a new baby and found your post. WONDERFUL! great tutorial and pictures, but my favorite... I am left handed and it was awesome you left the instructions that way. thank you!!!

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About Me

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
I love living on a Nebraska farm and being able to look across the countryside from my sewing room window.